Rainy Season at Ryoshimachi, Shinagawa

Hasui revisited the Ryoshimachi subject across multiple editions, each impression reflecting the condition of the woodblocks and the printing decisions of his publisher Watanabe Shozaburo's atelier. In this third state, the water surface in the foreground shows the light-on-dark reflection pattern typical of overcast midday light, with the wooden structures of the fishing quarter mirrored imperfectly in the still inlet water. The palette centers on muted ochre for aging wood, slate for roof tiles, and a range of cool neutrals for the rain-heavy atmosphere. Shinagawa's Ryoshimachi had existed as a working fishing community since at least the Edo period, and Hasui's repeated depictions of it function as a documentary record of urban-coastal life that was already being eroded by industrialization when the prints were made.